The present invention relates generally to ice dispensing equipment, and in particular to ice dispensing equipment utilizing a rotating agitator for moving and dispensing the ice.
Ice dispensing equipment is well known and generally employs an ice retaining bin and an ice chute that is placed in communication with ice in the bin through an electrically operated gate. Ice is dispensed from the bin by opening the gate for a flow of ice from the bin into, through and out of the chute into a suitable receptacle, such as a cup for a beverage. Ice dispensing is typically initiated by actuation of a switch that operates an electrically driven dispensing mechanism that includes and opens the gate, usually until the switch is de-actuated. Also known is equipment that combines in a single unit dispensing of a beverage with an ice retaining and dispensing capacity.
All such equipment for dispensing ice either alone or together with a beverage customarily has an auger or agitator structure in the ice retaining bin that is rotated by a drive motor both during dispensing of ice and periodically. The agitator serves two primary purposes, in that it agitates the ice in the bin to prevent agglomeration and congealing of the discrete particles of ice into a mass of ice and it serves as part of the dispensing mechanism by moving the ice particles through the gate to and into the ice dispensing chute. Agitator assemblies include various arm extensions for agitating and breaking up the ice as the agitator rotates, as well as ice sweeping arm extensions having paddle or scoop ends. The scoop ends provide for contacting and lifting of the ice in the storage bin off of the bottom of the bin to an elevated ice outlet opening controlled by the gate for dispensing of the ice by gravity flow down the dispensing chute. Due to the plurality of ice breaking and sweeping arms, agitator assemblies can be relatively expensive to manufacture, in that they require the welding together of various separate components. Additionally, the assembly of an agitator must be done in a manner that provides for a robust and durable structure. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an agitator assembly that can not only easily and inexpensively be manufactured, but also that as manufactured is in use sufficiently strong and not prone to deformation or breakage that would negatively impact its performance.